Invalid aid stand



Manch 28, i967 D. A. HARDING M0933? INVALID AID STAND Filed Feb. e, 1965 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR. fuf 4; #4kb/v4 United States Patent O 3,310,817 INVALID AID STAND Dale A. Harding, 206 N. 2nd si., Eagle Grove, iowa ti533 Filed Feb. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 431,063 3 Claims. (Cl. 5-92) This invention relates generally to a device to enable ill or semi-bed-ridden people to lift themselves into an upright position such that they may get out of bed with a minimum of assistance.

It has always been a problem to care for people having various aiictions while require them to be lying in bed for a great deal of time and which aifiiction does not per. mit them to easily rise from the bed. It is not always economically feasible to maintain full time aid for such a person nor is it always possible to be present when the ai'liicted person wants to get out of bed. In order to assist in solving this problem various devices have been provided which will allow the person to use unaffected portions of his body, possibly his arms, in lifting himself from the bed. Most of these devices however are ineffective in that they often require attachment to a particular bed which may be expensive and often they are not stable enough to permit the bed-ridden person to exert sufficient force thereon to lift himself.

Applicant has however provided a unique article which may be termed an invalid aid stand which is adaptable for use with any type of bed and which though unconnected to the bed may, when required, receive a certain amount of support from the bed frame such that it is impossible to tip the unit and which therefore allows the patient to exert suicient force thereon to lift himself from the bed.

The device as disclosed herein is easily adaptable and adjustable to accommodate any size bed and therefore may find universal use rather than being limited to a particular bed such as a hospital bed.

Applicants unit as disclosed herein provides a plurality of easily accessible gripping devices to enable a patient to pull himself up from the bed and to assist him in attaining an erect position next to the bed. Likewise the unit may be used by the patient for getting into the bed.

The stand as disclosed herein does not require any physical attachment to the bed on which it is being used but when properly positioned with respect to the bed frame the unit is untippable in that a portion of the unit will normally abut with the bed frame and will not permit tipping movement therepast thus maintaining the stand on two (2) of its available four (4) feet.

It is therefore an object of applicants invention to provide an aid stand for individuals that have diiiiculty in either getting into or out of a bed in that it will permit the individual to lift himself thereby substantially eliminating the requirement of another person to assist the individual.

It is a further object of applicants invention to provide an invalid aid stand adaptable and positionable to be received for use with beds of various construction and size and wherein a portion of the stand is provided in abutting position with the frame of the bed to prevent the stand from tipping during use.

lt is a further object of applicants invention to provide an aid stand for semi-bed-ridden people and the like having a plurality of grasping portions thereon positioned such that the person using this stand may easily pull himself from a lying position.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts through the several views, and in which:

Patented Mar. 28, 1967 FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing the stand positioned with respect to a bed; y

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, further illustrating the placement of the unit with respect to a bed;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially along line 3 3 of FIG. 2 illustrating the use to which the unit may be put;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section taken substantially along line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

In accordance with the accompanying drawings a bed of any construction is illustrated which has bed rails R extending between a head and foot support. The stand 10 is shown in position in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 about the bed and in the form shown consists of a pair of upright `support members 11-12 each having a lower end support bar 13-14 respectively connected and rigidly joined at the bottom ends thereof.

In the form shown the support bars 13-14 comprise an elongated substantially straight section 13a-14a arranged normally to a plane defined by the uprights 11-12 with a pair of downwardly disposed ground contacting members 13b-14h arranged on the ends thereof. Slide retarding cap members 15-16 may be respectively arranged on the ends of the ground engaging members 13b-14]) to prevent slippage of the unit 10 on the oor.

vThe uppermost end of the uprights 1142 is provided with a right angled telescoping unit 17-18 yadjustably connected to uprights 11-12 through an adjustment member such as a pin 17a-18a. Right angled members 17-18 are directed inwardly over the bed and the inner ends thereof are joined through another telescoping unit 19 having a pair of fastener units 19a-1% on the ends thereof to -adjustably connect the right angled members 1'7-18.

From this simple U-shaped adjustable assembly it should be obvious that this portion of the unit 10 may be arranged over beds of various sizes with the uprights 11-12 positioned adjacent the sides of the bed rails R with the cross member 19 arranged at a convenient height above the bed frame.

A second telescoping or adjustable cross member 20 is provided between the uprights 11-12 and is normally arranged to be in upward abutting relation to the bed rails R. This cross member 20 is vertically adjustable on the uprights 11-12 by providing ends 20a-201; formed to partially surround the uprights 11-12 as best illustrated in FIG. 5 with clamp means 21 adjustably securing the cross member 2i) to the uprights 11-12. As seen in FIG. 5 the form of the clamp 21 shown herein comprises a screw adjustable band member which is only one form that could be used to securely hold the cross member 20 in proper position on the uprights 11-12.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 the elongated support portions 13a-14a of the bottom support members 13-14 are sufficiently long to prevent tipping of the unit 10 when a person exerts an off center force thereon. When an olf center force .is applied as shown in FIG. 3 the ends 15-16 of the support unit 1i) act as the center of rotation for the unit rand the cross member 2) being ideally positioned closely to the rails R of the bed will abut with said rails R and not permit the unit 10 to be tipped.

Additional grasping devices such as what may be termed a trapeze unit 22 is suspended from cross member 19 by a pair of vertical supports 22a-22a engaged therewith. This grasping member will of course permit an individual to pull himself upwardly on the bed as shown in FIG. 3.

A second hand hold unit designated 23 may be provided on one of the uprights and consists of a pair of U-shaped members 24-25 which in the form shown have the ends legs of the U secured respectively to an upright 11 or 12.

As seen in FIG. 4 to facilitate use of this grasping unit 23 the U-shaped members 24-25 are offset at a 45 angle with respect to a plane defined by the two uprights 11-12. This oft" set arrangement of course allow-s use of the unit 23 from either side of the unit l0 which is to say the unit 23 may be arranged on either side of the bed. To further facilitate use of the hand hold 23 this unit may likewise be vertically adjustable on its respective support and could likewise be provided on both of the uprights.

It should be obvious that this unit 10 may accommodate and be used with 4beds of practically any conceivable construction and may be used as an aid in either getting into or out of the bed. Likewise the unit not requiring any positive connection to the bed, permits shifting of the unit from one bed to another very easily. Construction of the unit from substantially tubular materials would provide a light Weight unit to further enhance its useability while still providing the necessary strength required.

Although the unit is described and shown as a device to aid a person getting into and out of bed, it should be obvious that the unit may also serve as an exercise device or may be used as a support for additional devices which the person may require for his care.

It should be obvious that applicant has provided a unique invalid aid stand having a particular feature of non-tippability While ibeing substantially simple and easy to use.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangements and porportion of parts without departing from the scope of my invention, which generally stated consists in the matter set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for use in conjunction with a bed including:

(a) a generally U-shaped member wherein the individual sections comprising the U are adjustable to permit variations of the overall cross sectional area encompassed between elements forming the U;

(b) a pair of supporting bars arranged respectively `on the l-owermost ends of the arms of the U normal yto the plane dened by the U being of substantial length and having ground engaging portions on the ends thereof; and

(c) an adjustable cross member received between the arms of said U with means on the ends thereof for adjustably mounting the same along the length of said arms whereby the cross member will be arranged below a bed in normal abutting relation to the frame of the bed to normally abut with the frame should the U member be tipped about either of the ground engaging members.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 and hand grasping elements arranged respectively on at least one of the arms of the U, said hand hold element including a U-shaped member having its legs securely attached to one of the arms of said U and extending angularly outwardly with respect to the plane dened by said U.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2 wherein the hand hold element comprises a paid of U-shaped members having their leg xedly secured to the arm vof said U, each member being angularly offset with respect to the plane dened by said U.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,341,483 5/1920 Slocum 5-332 2,228,727 1/1941 Pain 5-317 2,490,130 12/1949 Hollis 5-81 2,981,959 5/1961 Burnham 5-92 3,110,911 11/1963 Osborne et al. 5-327 X 3,162,867 12/1964 Hoifman 5-317 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

R. D. KRAUS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH A BED INCLUDING: (A) A GENERALLY U-SHAPED MEMBER WHEREIN THE INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS COMPRISING THE U ARE ADJUSTABLE TO PERMIT VARIATIONS OF THE OVERALL CROSS SECTIONAL AREA ENCOMPASSED BETWEEN ELEMENTS FORMING THE U; (B) A PAIR OF SUPPORTING BARS ARRANGED RESPECTIVELY ON THE LOWERMOST ENDS OF THE ARMS OF THE U NORMAL TO THE PLANE DEFINED BY THE U BEING OF SUBSTANTIAL LENGTH AND HAVING GROUND ENGAGING PORTIONS ON THE ENDS THEREOF; AND (C) AN ADJUSTABLE CROSS MEMBER RECEIVED BETWEEN THE ARMS OF SAID U WITH MEANS ON THE ENDS THEREOF FOR ADJUSTABLY MOUNTING THE SAME ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID ARMS WHEREBY THE CROSS MEMBER WILL BE ARRANGED BELOW A BED IN NORMAL ABUTTING RELATION TO THE FRAME OF THE BED TO NORMALLY ABUT WITH THE FRAME SHOULD THE U MEMBER BE TIPPED ABOUT EITHER OF THE GROUND ENGAGING MEMBERS. 